Hello Everyone,

IEEE’s Transportation Electrification eNewsletter decided to have a special edition on the application of wide bandgap devices in the transportation industry. Divya Kurthakoti and Pourya Shamsi were the lead editors for this special edition. It is our pleasure to bring you this important emerging technology that has the potential to revolutionize electric drives used in the transportation industry. In this series we have a mix of introductory articles and articles written by industry as well as academic experts that discuss the future potential of these devices in the transportation sector.

by Julian Styles

Gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors offer the promise of more compact and efficient power electronics, leading to lighter and more energy-efficient vehicles.[i] But where can we expect to see real benefits from GaN in automotive? And what challenges remain to be overcome to make this happen?

By Srabanti Chowdhury

Introduction

Technology is reshaping our lives. It is changing the way we think, communicate, commute and operate. The invention of wheels marks the journey that continues today into electric vehicles, Cars powered with all luxuries of a home was possible in science fiction in the 60’s is now a reality. Thanks to electronics that enables our imaginations take shape

The evolution of cars carries the history of our society through the changing times depicting the culture, challenges and priorities. From gas-guzzlers to the electric vehicles has been a road marked by inventions of various proportions, often revolutionary, setting significant leaps into the future.

By Divya Kurthakoti Chandrashekhara

1. Introduction

The transportation sector is one of the fastest growing market areas and requires innovative power conversion systems to meet stringent requirements in terms of cost (especially for electric cars), size, weight, power-density and reliability. Meeting all these conflicting requirements simultaneously is quite challenging with the current technology. It is believed that wideband-gap semiconductor devices may enable us to realize many of these requirements.

In this article we discuss the present day state-of-the-art power conversion technology used in most transportation systems with their limitations. Next, we discuss how the wideband gap semiconductor devices could overcome these limitations. Finally, we discuss the future of these new devices along with some of the opportunities and problems being currently researched.

By, Chris Whaling

Introduction

Electric Vehicle (EV) growth has compelled us to look for innovative components for the whole system which will provide us a better performance in terms of the different metrics on which it is judged. The performance metrics to be considered are cost, efficiency, size and reliability. Semiconductor devices are the primary components which enable us to transform the available electrical power in an EV to the required mechanical power (to propel the car) and other different forms of electrical power (to run the auxiliary electrical components). Optimized power conversion is necessary in this regard, thus our investigation focuses on the types of semiconductor technology which are or will be used in the EV industry.


About the Newsletter

Editors-in-Chief

Jin-Woo Ahn
Co-Editor-in-Chief

 

Sheldon Williamson
Co-Editor-in-Chief

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